American film director (1913?1988)
Melvin Frank
(13 August 1913 ? 13 October 1988) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with
Norman Panama
and their work on films such as
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
(1948),
White Christmas
(1954), and
The Court Jester
(1956). He also directed films such as
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
(1968) and
A Touch of Class
(1973).
Life and career
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Born to a Jewish family,
[1]
Frank met his future collaborator
Norman Panama
in 1933 when they were both at the
University of Chicago
.
[2]
After graduating, they formed a partnership in 1935 which endured for four decades; first writing for
Milton Berle
before becoming writers for
Bob Hope
's radio show. In 1941, they sold their first script to
Paramount Pictures
,
My Favorite Blonde
(1942), which starred Hope.
[3]
They worked for Paramount for five years where, among others, they wrote
Road to Utopia
(1946), starring Hope and
Bing Crosby
, for which they received an
Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay
.
[3]
They moved to
Columbia Pictures
making
It Had to Be You
(1947) and
The Return of October
(1948) and also wrote
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
(1948) for
RKO
.
[3]
In 1950, they signed a writing, producing and directing deal with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
and made films together as co-writers, co-directors and co-producers.
[3]
They started with
The Reformer and the Redhead
(1950) and also made
Knock on Wood
(1954) and
The Court Jester
(1956), both with
Danny Kaye
, with the former earning them another Academy Award nomination. They also co-wrote
White Christmas
(1954) with
Norman Krasna
. They wrote a Broadway play together in 1956, later adapted into
Li'l Abner
(1959), directed by Frank. They received another Academy Award nomination for
The Facts of Life
(1960) and also worked on
The Road to Hong Kong
(1962).
[3]
Frank went on to a successful solo career as a film director, most notably directing the acclaimed romantic comedy
A Touch of Class
(1973), starring
George Segal
and
Glenda Jackson
. The film was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Picture
and
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced
(with
Jack Rose
) and Jackson won the
Academy Award for Best Actress
for her role. Subsequent films directed by Frank include
The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox
(1976) and
Lost and Found
(1979).
Over the course of his career, Frank was nominated for five
Academy Awards
. In 1984, he received the
Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement
from the
Writers Guild of America
.
Death
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Frank had open heart surgery on October 12, 1988, and died the following day.
[3]
Personal life
[
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Frank's first wife was Anne Ray, younger sister of actress
Jigee Viertel
.
[4]
At the time of his death he was still married to his second wife, Juliet. He had three children,
Pulitzer Prize
-winning writer
Elizabeth Frank
and sons Andrew and James.
[2]
[5]
Selected filmography
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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Original Drama
(1969?1983)
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Original Comedy
(1969?1983)
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Original Screenplay
(1984?present)
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1950s
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1960s
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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International
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National
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Artists
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People
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Other
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